Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Comment
  • Published:

From fallout to renewal

Nature Cell Biology volume 27, pages 2036–2039 (2025)Cite this article

Subjects

In the wake of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, urgent efforts aimed at understanding radiation sickness catalysed the birth of bone marrow transplantation and stem cell biology. In this historical Comment, we highlight the critical role of government support in empowering fundamental studies that can lead, often unexpectedly, to considerable advances for science and human health.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: An arc of scientific advances following the atomic bombings.

References

  1. Keller, P. D. JAMA 258, 661–663 (1987).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Marget, M. American Society of Hematology https://go.nature.com/488CIQC (1989).

  3. Jacobson, L. O., Marks, E. K., Robson, M. & Zirkle, R. E. Office of Scientific and Technical Information https://go.nature.com/4oVoytr (1949).

  4. Appelbaum, F. R. Living Medicine: Don Thomas, Marrow Transplantation, and the Cell Therapy Revolution 1st edn (Mayo Clinic Press, 2023).

  5. Lorenz, E. et al. Radiology 58, 863–877 (1952).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Brecher, G. et al. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 77, 292–294 (1951).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Ford, C. E. et al. Nature 177, 452–454 (1956).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Barnes, D. W. et al. Br. J. Haematol. 3, 241–252 (1957).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Thomas, E. D. et al. N. Engl. J. Med. 257, 491–496 (1957).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Bortin, M. M. Transplantation 9, 571–587 (1970).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Granot, N. et al. Haematologica 105, 2716–2729 (2020).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  12. Sornberger, J. Dreams and Due Diligence: Till and McCulloch’s Stem Cell Discovery and Legacy 1st edn (Univ. Toronto Press, 2011).

  13. Till, J. E. et al. Radiat. Res. 14, 213–222 (1961).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. United States Congress. A History of Science Policy in the United States, 1940–1985: Report (U.S. Government Printing Office, 1986).

  15. National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. NCSES https://go.nature.com/44iaZvD (2025).

  16. National Science Foundation. NSF https://go.nature.com/3LREY7r (2023).

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank members of the Sankaran laboratory, as well D. Nathan, P. van Galen, J. Weissman and M. Stanley, for discussions and feedback. J.A.G. is supported by a Boehringer–Ingelheim MD Fellowship. The laboratory of V.G.S. is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Julia's Wings Foundation, the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, the Mathers Foundation, the Edward P. Evans Foundation, Blood Cancer United, Care for Rare America, the Gates Foundation and the US National Institutes of Health (R01CA265726, R01CA292941, R33CA278393, R01DK103794 and R01HL146500). V.G.S. is an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Jonas A. Gudera & Vijay G. Sankaran

  2. Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Jonas A. Gudera & Vijay G. Sankaran

  3. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA, USA

    Jonas A. Gudera & Vijay G. Sankaran

  4. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Jonas A. Gudera & Vijay G. Sankaran

  5. Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Vijay G. Sankaran

Authors
  1. Jonas A. Gudera
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Vijay G. Sankaran
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vijay G. Sankaran.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Peer review

Peer review information

Nature Cell Biology thanks Charles Craddock and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Gudera, J.A., Sankaran, V.G. From fallout to renewal. Nat Cell Biol 27, 2036–2039 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-025-01826-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Version of record:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-025-01826-3

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing